Frost Point Continues Hot Streak in Doubledogdare

Whether they are running a homebred colt or a filly, the global racing and breeding powerhouse Godolphin and Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott continue to make stakes memories at Keeneland.

Last fall, they teamed to win the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) with Cody's Wish , a son of Curlin  , and April 21 at the Lexington oval, they struck again, taking the $292,594 Doubledogdare Stakes (G3) with late-running Frost Point . The latter was a full product of their breeding operation, with both her sire, Frosted  , and dam, the Timber Country mare Balletto , either racing for Godolphin or its connected Darley brand. Frosted stands at Darley's Jonabell Farm near Lexington.

Frost Point, outrun in two stakes last spring before being sent to the sidelines, improved to 3-for-3 since returning to action this winter. She won an allowance optional claiming race at Aqueduct Racetrack, followed that with a 6 1/4-length blowout win in the Heavenly Prize Invitational Stakes, and stepped up and handled graded stakes company Friday.

Though she did not break sharply in the 1 1/16-mile Dougledogdare, causing her to need to rally from behind in the six-horse field, Frost Point otherwise excelled Friday. Always within range of the leaders, she rated at the back of the pack behind splits of :24.03 and :48.26 set by 11-1 shot Hidden Connection  before Flavien Prat urged his mount and she advanced inside into fifth after six furlongs in 1:12.19.

Angled outside into fourth at the head of the stretch, she closed furiously over the final eighth of a mile to run down Hidden Connection and pace-pressing Green Up . She prevailed by three-quarters of a length, timed in 1:43.95 for the distance. She returned $11.06 to win as the third choice.

"I was a little further back than I wish I could be but she was traveling well all the way around," Prat said. "All the way around the (second) turn, it felt like she was going to make a good move. And as soon as I tipped her out and got her in the clear, she really extended herself and kicked on well."

2021 Pocahontas Stakes (G3) winner Hidden Connection held second, 1 1/2 lengths clear of stakes-winning Green Up in third.

Favored Interstatedaydream , eased off the pace by Florent Geroux when in tight into the first turn, finished an non-threatening fourth as the favorite, ahead of Shotgun Hottie  and Traverse .

Mott notched his second Doubledogdare after first capturing the 2009 race with Donald Adam's Indescribable .

Mott credited Godolphin trainer Johnny Burke, who readies Godolphin horses for racing and their returns after time off, for having her well prepared when she came back to Mott's stable.

"Over the summer, she put on weight and started looking better. She's come back very well," Mott said. "She's 3-for-3 now. This was a very good race, and she beat a really solid field."

Godolphin scored its second graded stakes win of the Keeneland meet Friday after the success of the Brad Cox-trained First Mission  April 15 in the Lexington Stakes (G3). Godolphin also won its second race on Friday's card when the Brendan Walsh-trained Loved , a half sister to Darley's Maxfield  , scored a blowout maiden victory in the fourth race.

Frost Point is the second stakes winner produced from her dam following the initial success black-type success of Villanesca  (Distorted Humor). Six of the dam's 11 foals have raced with four victorious. Her two youngest foals are a 2-year-old full brother to Frost Point and a Maclean's Music   yearling filly.